Prompt Exchange-Green Arrow and Black Canary
by liondancer17
Summary: An exchange by Hollysotps on tumblr. Three prompts for the pairing Black Canary and Green Arrow. I hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

A/N

Okay, this is part of a three-shot story, in a prompt exchange with Hollysotps on tumblr! I hope you enjoy, Holly!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, of course.

* * *

(Oliver Queen's POV)

'_Okay,'_ the Emerald Archer thought, putting his head in his hands. '_You're a member of the Justice League. You're one of the founding members. You fight crime on a regular basis. You stopped the multiverse from collapsing-twice. You don't need superpowers to kick ass. So what the hell is wrong with you that you can't just propose?'_

But, for some, god-forsaken reason, he just couldn't bring himself to.

It wasn't that he didn't _want _to marry her. Dinah...she was the love of his life, and Oliver knew that. She would _never _be anything less than The One for him. The girl was a challenge...and he really liked that. He _loved _challenges. While other heroes had it easy, with superpowers or high-tech weaponry and connections, Oliver didn't choose that. He choose medieval weaponry, and he chose to leave his high-life to pursue crime, rather than live his life enclosed in a crystal case, like the rest of his family. He perfected his skills in acrobatics and swordsmanship and archery, choosing, rather than to send others into battle, he would become a weapon _himself. _He _loved _challenges. He _loved _the thrill and excitement of battle. He _loved _the feeling of being one with the action around him, not thinking, just _acting. _

Maybe it was because just _doing _meant he didn't have to _be _anymore. He didn't have to think about money or politics or the things _wrong _with the world. He could lose himself in being _the hunter,_ because that was _who he was _inside. He was never a politician or a mayor or even a _hero. _At his core, Oliver Queen was the _hunter. _He was the Ace Archer, the Battling Bowman, the _Green Arrow. _He...honestly felt that was his real name. Most of the time, "Oliver Queen" felt more like an M.O. than the one he went by.

Maybe that was why he was first attracted to the Black Canary.

_She was the finest prey he had ever had the pleasure of hunting, certainly._

A canary was a songbird, belonging to the genus _Serinus_ in the finch family, _Fringillidae_. It is native to the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira. It is from ten to fourteen centimeters in length, with a wingspan of twenty to twenty-three centimeters, and an average weight of fifteen grams.

Canaries, in the wild, will hide their loved ones in small nests, hidden in the deepest parts of their small territories, and will attack anyone who approaches their precious ones. They were small, unintimidating, but will _not let up._

(_"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH THEM!" Dinah screeched, her Canary Call echoing through the streets-)_

Canaries, though they were often considered herbivores, were actually hunters as well. Their tiny size hid the fact that they were _fast _and _strong _for their size, and they will often use their song as a way to both warn and attract. Their song they could use to confuse the insects that they hunted, echoing across trees and rocks and giving them enough time to-

(_Black Canary dropped from the rooftop, a smirk playing across her lips. "How embarrassing is it, to lose to such a small, cute, little girl?" she purred.)_

But Canaries were also used by humans. selfish as humans are. They used to be brought into coal mines, a test of _life_ for humans. And it was only when they _dropped dead _that humans would stop-

(_She was trembling in his arms. She was pale and shaking, and Oliver could only stare because this was impossible. This was impossible, Dinah, she was a strong woman, she couldn't, not her, never her, never, never, Dinah-)_

But she wasn't dead. And she was the _Black Canary, _not _prey, _but a _hunter._

She was fierce, strong, determined-like a raging fire contained just _barely _behind glass. Her smile was brighter than the sun, promising trouble and mischief like he had never seen before. Her eyes sparkled, dancing with fierceness and intelligence, and when she smiled, Oliver was sure that she was more than just a meta, she had to be a New God, and it was more than evident to him that she must have been a goddess of beauty and intelligence and _fire,_ because he was drawn to her like a moth to a flame, to her warmth and inner love and _everything _that was Dinah. When he thought of her, there was not one, single thing that ever made him doubt his feelings for her. How ironic was it that the hunter had become the prey? That he found himself caught in the talons of a songbird? That ultimately, the hunter had become the hunted?

Oliver Queen liked a challenge.

And this had become his ultimate undoing.

He had fallen in **_love._**

The Emerald Archer honestly had no idea what was making him so scared of this. She had admitted before that the only reason that they did not go out sooner was because she thought that he wouldn't be able to commit. He _wanted _to commit. He _wanted _to make her Dinah Queen. And he knew, in his heart, that she wanted the same. She wanted to know that the unattainable, womanizing Oliver Queen wanted to settle down with _her._

_But still..._

He was scared of opening himself up to her. The rule of being a hunter was always the same, always so clear. _Never _leave yourself open to your prey, or else _you _will become the hunted. Leaving himself open-it went against everything he had taught himself, every barrier, every single personal rule he had ever made. He was letting himself become the prey. He was letting himself become vulnerable, and he wasn't sure how to feel about that.

_But she was worth it._

So the archer swallowed his pride, and played with the box in the back pocket of his suit. He had been waiting for over two hours at the restaurant, _Bellissimo Uccello, _a name that he himself could not pronounce, but it was a fine Italian place, so he went there anyway. She had told him that she would meet him here, but it had been so long...was she standing him up?

At long last, an absolutely gorgeous blonde walked through the doors, and she smiled, her face flushed as she took her seat.

"...Hi." Oliver said at last, a complete loss for words. He couldn't help but smile at the fact that she was still wearing her mask.

"I'm so sorry, Oliver. I...I woke up late, I was out all night fighting, and it was six already when I got up. And then my car broke down, and then my laundry was all messed up, and I thought about showing up in costume, but that would be so risky, so I just went to a dry-cleaner's in costume, and a couple of thugs wanted to start, so I fought them and took a taxi and stopped to change at the gas station and picked up another one and-"

"Dinah, it's fine." Oliver cut her off, raising a hand and smiling. "Don't worry. It's worth it, waiting for you."

Dinah rolled her eyes, but he caught the faintest flush on her face. Without a word, he reached over and peeled the mask away, fingertips brushing against her cheekbones as he did so. And even after all of the time they had been together, even after all of the times they had made love, with all of the raw passion and intensity of two people who _knew _that the other might be gone the next day, just the lightest brush of her cheekbone still sent shivers up Oliver's spine, and he _knew _it wasn't just because of how breathtakingly gorgeous she was.

_God...I love her. When did I go and fall so madly in love with her?_

"Dinah..." he said softly, not even realizing it. She blinked and tilted her head.

"So...what's the reason for the occasion, Green?" she asked, a teasing smile playing across her lips. She knew how much he hated wearing suits, so the fact that he was wearing a black suit with a green shirt and darker green tie (he liked green, okay?) was unusual.

"Tonight's...kind of special." He finally admitted. "It's our anniversary."

"True, but for our last anniversary, we agreed that spending the day in our underwear and watching TV was better than any fancy shit."

"I know, I know, but when you're doing what I'm doing tonight, it's a good idea to be fancy."

Dinah raised an eyebrow. "And what are you doing? Trying to get some extra points with me for accidentally shooting my fire-alarm last week?"

"Well, that too."

Dinah snorted. "Well, I have to say, you're really going the extra mile, Oliver." Then she leaned closer, smiling. "You really should wear suits more. It looks really nice."

A blush crept up the back of Oliver's neck, and he coughed. "I...uhh, there's another reason I asked you here, though."

The laughter suddenly left Dinah's eyes, and she ran her fingertips over the rim of the wine glass, voice softening. "What is it, Oliver?"

The Green Arrow felt the box in his pocket, and swallowed nervously. He could just say it was because they deserved a little luxury, after everything they'd been through. They could just stay living together. They could just be partners, best friends, lovers, forever. They could...

_No._

They couldn't. Because in his mind, whenever he thought of Dinah, he always thought of her as his _wife. _As _Mrs. Queen._ And that was what she was going to be.

"Dinah, Black Canary..." he started, standing up and kneeling before her, taking her hand.

The blonde's eyes widened, and she held her hand over her open mouth, staining her white gloves with red lipstick, but not seeming to notice, nor care.

"Dinah, you're the love of my life. You always have been, you always will be. You're what I'm fighting for, the reason I never stop, the reason that I can live with myself at night, and the reason I get up in the morning. You're my sun and moon, you're all I think about, and whenever I see you, I just want to sweep you up in my arms and fight for you-no, fight _with you_-because you're not just the girl I love. You're my partner, my other half, you're...you're my everything, Dinah. And I love you. I love you so fucking much that it _hurts _to think about not being with you. And I want you to know that you're the only one I will ever want, now and forever. So...would you...give me the honor...of allowing me to be your husband?" And, with that, Oliver flicked the black box open, showing the ring.

The ring was simple, but indescribably beautiful. A silver band sent with tiny diamonds halfway down, all centering around a perfectly-cut black diamond. Tears ran down Dinah's cheeks, and she wordlessly nodded.

Oliver felt like he would collapse with relief. He stood up, wordlessly slipping the diamond onto her finger. Dinah jumped into his arms, and Oliver swept her up bridal-style, planting kiss after kiss on her lips. Dinah laughed.

"You're such a fucking dork, Oliver."

"I know, I know. And...it's not over yet."

"Really? How?"

"Well...Bruce owed me, and..."

"What did you do?"

"Well, there's a mic on my collar, and he heard you say yes, and..."

At that moment, fireworks went off behind them. Ollie walked to the balcony, and Dinah stared at him, wide-eyed.

The fireworks were brilliant, like the kind that one would see at Disneyworld. Wayne Enterprises spared absolutely no expenses with this.

The fireworks, brilliant green, spelled out the phrase "_I LOVE YOU DINAH!" _apparently, that wasn't enough for Bruce, because there were also a billion, pink, heart fireworks going off at the same time, along with the ridiculous "_OLIVER AND DINAH SITTING IN A TREE K-I-S-S-I-N-G" _with a stupidly familiar lightning-bolt insignia by it.

"Goddammit Wally."

Dinah laughed.

"I love you, Oliver."

The Green Arrow smiled, and took her chin between his fingers, a mischievous look in his eyes.

"I love you too, Mrs. Dinah Queen."

The Black Canary purred.

"Getting ahead of yourself, are you?"

Oliver smiled.

"I always love a challenge."

* * *

A/N

Part one of three.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N

Part two of the exchange.

Modern AU, Oliver using Roy and Conner to flirt with women. I'm making them both pre-schoolers, because it seems to fit. I hope you like, hollystops!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

(Oliver's POV)

It was easy, almost too easy for his liking. A few well-placed words in a low voice, a few exaggerations about his troubles as a single father, a few brushes against soft skin, a low smile, looking up from under blonde eyelashes, and they were prey to him. His relationships were never long or meaningful, and he had a little reputation around Star City as a womanizer, but he was proud of it, since, in his opinion, he earned it. He was a master hunter, and why would the top predator limit himself to only one thing? He was the top of the food chain, every woman was his prey, and he intended to take advantage of being the King.

That wasn't to say that he didn't love his kids, of course. Only a fool would think that, he honestly loved them both to death. He was a big Papa Wolf, and everyone knew that you do _not mess with the Queen boys, _because Oliver was as much a literal hunter as he was a metaphorical one. He was a businessman, and one who happened to spend time at the gym while his sons were in school, so Oliver _would _find a way to screw over any person who messed with his boys.

Oliver was married to another woman before, one whom his parents had picked out before he was born. She was the heiress to a wealthy corporation, and the two had been well enough together, and had even believed they were in love at one point, but it simply had not worked out. Now they both shared custody of their sons, and still remained friends, even if they hardly spoke. It wasn't because of bad blood-they simply realized that they could never be more than friends. And the previous Mrs. Queen had wanted passion and real love, so they had agreed to separate.

Had anyone been on the outside looking in, they would have figured that Oliver would have been a terrible father. He had a new woman over every other week, he used his children to flirt, and he was famous for always having a glass of wine in his hand. But what they didn't see was how the children never used their beds-they always slept with their father. They didn't see the bedtime stories, the adventures they had in their backyard, or how Oliver taught them archery with plastic arrows, and made them gasp and applaud by using a Nerf toy to hit a target several blocks away. They didn't see the chaos Oliver created in the kitchen (ice cream for breakfast was a frequent thing-despite how much their mother hated it) or the way Oliver tousled their hair and kissed their foreheads with the love only a father could have for his pride and joy.

Maybe that was why using his kids as a way to pick women up was so effective. Because he honestly _did _love them as much as he said he did.

Either way, it worked. It _always _worked. And Oliver wasn't sure if he was pleased or bored with that.

Until he fell under the spell of the Black Canary.

* * *

He first met her in the elevator.

His two sons were sleeping on him, both in his arms, cradled against his chest. He was approaching the top floor, when the elevator door opened, and a beautiful blonde stepped inside.

She was wearing a black, leather choker, fishnet tights with garters, and fishnet around her wrists. She wore a leather corset, a schoolgirl skirt, and what could have been a black bikini top, with thigh-light leather boots completing the outfit. The minute she noticed him, she snarled.

"Don't even fucking _think _about it."

Oliver gave an easy, flirtatious smile, and adjusted Conner so that the boy could cradle against his shoulder.

"I wouldn't dream of it, not to you. Besides, I'm more of a father myself, than a womanizer."

The woman's eyes glittered with what could only be described as _trouble._

"Yes, and I'm a pretty, little housewife. Everyone knows about you, Queen. So I repeat, _don't try it._"

And then she was off the elevator, and Oliver was left staring at the beautiful blonde who had just stood him up.

* * *

The second time he met her, he was at the supermarket.

When he saw her, she was dressed very differently. A simple, white sundress, conservative and feminine, almost domestic-looking on her. When she caught his eye, that same look of _trouble _passed over her features, and Oliver felt, for the first time in his life, completely and utterly helpless to a woman.

"Daddy, who is that?" Roy asked, tugging on his father's shirt, and Oliver shook his head with a wide-eyed, dazed look.

"I-I don't know."

The woman smiled.

"I'm the Black Canary. That's what people call me, when they're in trouble, because of me."

"Black Canary." Oliver repeated. Then he smiled back, because he _knew _this game. She wanted him to chase her, she wanted him to beg and plead for her.

_And, for the first time, he was finding himself okay with that. _

_What did that mean?_

But being a hunter meant trusting your instincts. So he took her hand, and kissed her fingers, and noted that her nails were painted black, and he wondered about this mysterious woman that drew him to her so.

And she smiled as she walked away, eyes promising a future meeting.

"Daddy, why are you smiling like that?"

Oliver shook his head.

"I have no idea, Connie."

* * *

The third time he met her, he was running home from a meeting, and he realized he was passing by a stripper joint that he never noticed before. _Birds of Prey, _it was called. He absently wondered if Black Canary had anything to do with it.

His thoughts were confirmed when he saw her walking out of it, alone, a confident stride in her step as she counted her money. She didn't notice the two men pursuing her. Oliver did.

He was already reaching for the hidden quiver of arrows and his bow that he always had on him, when the men attacked.

They didn't know what hit them, and, quite honestly, neither did Oliver.

Within five minutes, all men were laying, spread-eagle on the pavement, and Oliver stared, wide-eyes.

Black Canary caught his gaze, smirked, and blew a kiss.

And laughed when Oliver caught it, and held it to his heart.

* * *

The fourth time he met her was several weeks later, and he had been trying to plan it since their last meeting. But no matter how many times he waited by the elevator, he could never seem to catch her, and he could not remember what floor she lived on, so that didn't help either. All he knew was that she lived in the same building, and that was useless, unless he knew her.

_Black Canary..._

He started growing black roses after he realized that buying a dozen of them everyday would certainly support Ivy's florist shop, but wasn't going to do him any good. He had been planting black roses all across the building, having Ivy give him roses that could be re-planted and still bloom. On every floor there were roses, on every counter there was a rose, and along the road back to the apartment, there were black roses growing. He knew she had to notice, and he hoped she would connect it to him.

And then he saw her walking into the building, a black rose in her hair, and several in her hand.

She walked past him, and smiled.

Oliver's heart leapt in his throat, but before he could call out for her, she disappeared into the elevator, and it shut before he could reach it.

_She just keeps flying away from me..._

* * *

The fifth time he met her was a few days after the last, two months after their first encounter. The winter was beginning, and the world had turned white in just a manner of days. Conner and Roy had begged for him to let them go outside to the park, and he had finally caved after they gave him puppy-dog eyes. Those were absolute _lethal _weapons that needed to be banned by the Geneva convention.

All three of them had headed to the park, bundled up like they were going to war, and Oliver soon found himself the target of a rather fearsome snowball war. Not a fight, a _war. _It wasn't fair, in his opinion, since both of the boys teamed up on him, and he was a rather big target compared to the two. He managed to construct a feeble fort of snow, and had crouched behind it, throwing snowballs blindly out of his shield, until he realized that the children had abandoned their own fort, and had instead crossed enemy lines into his territory, and had leapt upon him, raining snowballs upon his head.

"I give, I give, you little cheaters!" He said while laughing on his back, and both of the little boys were giggling.

"Snow angels!" Conner cried out, smiling as he swept at the snow with his arms and legs. For a while, all three of them were content to mark the entire playground with dozens of silhouettes of angels, until Roy decided he was bored, and decided instead to build a snowman, which the other two agreed to.

It didn't resemble a snowman, so much as a messy pile of snow randomly jammed with twigs and rocks, but then, none of them were really the artistic type, and to Oliver, it was just the effort that counted, as it always did with his boys. He took off his own hat, plopped in on the snow-blob's head, and proudly declared that it was a snow-alien. (Which Conner protested to, saying that Superman was an alien, and that he didn't look like a blob, but Oliver pointed out that there were aliens that could be blobs, and not all aliens looked the same, which he had to concede to.) and, in the end, they decided that Bob the Blob was the snowman's name, and that Bob was another member of the family, and was the most handsome of them all, thank-you-very-much.

That was until Oliver hid behind Bob the Blob, and threw a snowball at the boys, and had claimed that Bob did it. Of course, the children saw right through that, and a second snow war began.

And, once more, the children won.

"Cheaters!" he cried out, laughing as he shook snow off his head.

"All's fair in love and war!" Roy pointed out, and Oliver stuck out his tongue.

"I couldn't agree more." The Black Canary said, walking away from the entire show she was presented with, a mystified Oliver only able to watch her go again.

* * *

The fifth time they met was the only one Oliver was prepared for.

He waited by the elevator for three hours, and she showed up. Late, but she showed up.

And he grasped her hands before she could pull away.

"Please...will you go out with me?" he asked. And he was begging. He knew he was begging. And she was the only one who could make her beg.

"Why me?" she asked, tilting her head, blue fire dancing behind her eyes.

And Oliver Queen, the world's greatest hunter, was trapped.

"I don't know." he whispered. "But there is something about you I want to know."

"Know how?"

"I...I want to know _you. _Who you are. Everything."

She was quiet for a long time, then she smiled.

"All right, Oliver Queen. Call me Dinah."

"Dinah what?"

And she smiled again.

"Wait a few dates, and you'll find out. I'll be here tomorrow at six."

Oliver Queen, the hunter, had just become the prey.

And he was perfectly okay with that.

* * *

A/N

I hope you like!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N

Part 3 of the exchange.

Part 4, as it is a different pairing, will be posted as a different one-shot.

_The timeline makes no sense here. But I don't care. That's what makes it fun._

I hope you like, Hollysotps!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

(Oliver's POV)

For the record, everything the rest of the household said about him was a lie.

It was a lie.

And that was what he claimed to the rest of the Capes when they heard the stories about him that he _really _didn't want them to know.

* * *

_"She's throwing up, Dinah! She's throwing up! I think that she's dying!" _Oliver yelled, holding back the hair of Mia as his ward made an irritated face, pressing her forehead to the toilet and groaning in irritation.

"Oliver, I'm not dying, I'm just sick!" Mia snapped, and then quickly regretted using the muscles in her abdomen as she became sick yet again, causing the Mighty Ace Archer to panic even more.

"Dinah, get in here! SHE'S SICK! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!" Oliver yelled again, and Roy burst out laughing, while Conner repeatedly smacked his head against the doorframe. After a few moments, Dinah appeared in the doorway, eyebrows raised in amusement, holding a bag of medicine.

"Look at you. How the hell did you live so long?"

Oliver gave an indignant look, and then sighed.

"I have no idea."

"Exactly, you're lost without me."

"I am."

"_Excuse me, you can have a romantic moment later when I'm not puking my toenails out!" _Mia shouted, and Roy collapsed to the floor in laughter.

For weeks, no one would let up on the fact that, not only was Oliver completely helpless in dealing with sick children, but he also was the most overprotective father on the planet.

But when Conner pretended to be sick to get out of school ("_I swear it's real!") _Oliver did not let up on the ban of video games for three days, and it was _not at all _revenge, he swore it.

* * *

The whole thing with teasing children for being adopted was a piece of shit, in Oliver's opinion.

Of course, when one fights crime (as a family, no less) the whole "not having parents" thing starts to sting less, because you're a _superhero, dammit, _and that was just cool. Plus, Batman was also an orphan, so really, you could threaten with Batman when little shits go too far. And they could _act on it too, _since Batman had a soft spot for fellow orphans.

When Roy was first starting out as Oliver's adopted son, he had been relentlessly teased about the fact that he had no parents, though he usually paid the bullies no mind. He was being trained by his hero, _Green Arrow, to fight crime! _He had a much better life than the rest. He was going to be _just like his hero, _he was worth it, he knew that they didn't matter!

But it was on Mother's Day that he finally snapped.

Because, every Mother's Day, he would clean the entire house with his father, and his father would buy him a bouquet of flowers to give to his mother, and...the look that she gave him was always _so proud, so happy, so loving..._

And, he knew that Oliver didn't think of him as a son. He would give _anything _to have that. To have parents who loved him again...

What he didn't know was that Oliver always checked on him, every single night, to make sure he never had any nightmares. And he heard Roy crying that night, and he heard the angry ranting, and decided that enough was _enough, _and that he wouldn't put up with that shit anymore.

So, the next day, Batman, Green Arrow, and Superman showed up at Roy Harper's school.

"Excuse me, I heard that someone here had a problem with adopted children?" Batman said, crossing his arms as he walked into the classroom of Roy Harper, the other two heroes closely following. "Superman, you were adopted, weren't you? What do you think of that?"

The Man of Steel tipped his head to the side, blue eyes glittering with mischief. "_I _think that anyone who has a problem with orphans, has a problem with _me. _And I issue a _personal challenge _to anyone who wants to speak up. So, any of you want to take _me on _to prove a point?"

"And you know what? We're not the only ones, are we?" Batman added, the dangerous smirk growing. "Wonder Woman was adopted, and Martian Manhunter has no parents too. So anyone who has a problem with adopted kids and orphans has a problem with _all of us._"

A pin drop would have been heard at this point.

And Roy Harper was glowing with pride.

"So, anyone have anything to say to any of us?" Green Arrow asked, raising his hand so that the bow could clearly be seen. "Anyone want to talk about their problem with orphans? Anyone want to insult us? Anyone at all?"

"N-no sirs!" one of the kids squeaked, and Batman nodded in approval.

"Good. Now if I hear anything, _there will be trouble."_

"Y-yes Mr. Batman, sir!"

And with that, the three heroes departed, and the teacher watched with a stunned look on her face.

Roy Harper was feared that day. And a lot of kids asked him how he knew the Justice League.

He said he didn't. _They just knew._

* * *

The things that Oliver did for his family were both stupid and brave. And both.

Especially for Mia and Dinah.

It was a stupid idea. And the reason he _knew _it was stupid was that Ted had done it before. _Anything _Ted deemed a good idea was stupid.

At least he had Roy and Conner helping him. But given the fact that Roy wouldn't stop laughing at the whole thing, and that Conner kept muttering that they were going to die, that didn't really reassure the Green Arrow too much.

The minute the both of them had secured their intended reward, the two heroes immediately departed, tearing off at top speed, trying their hardest to be gone before they were noticed. Roy was laughing like a maniac, and Conner looked like he was ready to murder somebody, but that was his usual appearance, so Oliver didn't try to take it as _too much_ of an omen.

When the three got back to Star City, they were all out of breath, and the six-hundred boxes they were carrying with them on a giant cart (a la Lex Luthor and the cakes) had to be fixed seven times.

"You actually did it." Dinah commented, eyebrows raised in astonishment. Oliver raised one hand, panting and grinning.

"Yep."

"You actually stole J'onn J'onzz's entire supply of chocos without him noticing."

"Yep."

"...you know Mia wasn't serious, right?"

"Yep."

"And that J'onn will come after you, right?"

"Yep."

"...I love you, Oliver."

"Love you too. Help me. I'm dying."

Dinah laughed as she helped her boys inside, and from the couch, curled up with cramps, Mia glared.

"I. Hate. All. Of. You."

* * *

A loud racket screeched across the home of the Queens, and for a second, Oliver Queen was positive that the house was being attacked. Grabbing his bow and quiver of arrows, he leapt through the house at top-speed, bowling over several vases and a couple of potted-plants, reaching ducking behind a couch and aiming at the shadow across the living room.

And Dinah pointed at the bathroom.

"WHO THE HELL LEFT THE TOILET SEAT OPEN?!" Mia screeched.

Conner poked his head around the doorframe, completely shaken to the core.

"It wasn't me. I swear." Conner said. "I swear! It wasn't me!"

"CONNER, I WILL MURDER YOU!" Mia screamed, the door shaking alarmingly on its hinges.

_Does she have the Canary Cry...?_

Roy winked at Oliver. "It was me."

"Mia, it was Roy." Dinah said, sitting down on the couch and absently opening a magazine. Oliver was trying not to laugh and cry at the same time.

"WHY WOULD YOU BETRAY ME, BLACK CANARY?" The Red Arrow screamed in terror.

"_I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU. I WILL KILL EVERYONE ON THE PLANET."_

"I think she's turning into a supervillain." Roy whispered. And Dinah just started laughing.

* * *

Conner was an absolute _nightmare _when he was well. But when he was sick...

...he was actually kind of adorable.

The boy would stay in Oliver and Dinah's bed, and would constantly demand attention and cuddles, and would speak in such a soft, high voice that he actually sounded really cute. He would shuffle around, wrapped up in a fluffy cocoon of blankets, his hair a mess and his eyes always shut while he nuzzled up to his father, mother, and siblings, whispering about how he loved them and he wanted affection from them.

Sometimes, he would take down a whole gallon of ice-cream and the scoop, and eat it while watching his family work and telling them that they deserved the world and that he just loved them all so damn much. Once, he had clung to Oliver's back, demanding that he make up for all the nights that Conner wanted a piggy-back ride, and he sobbed into his father's neck.

"Are you sure he isn't drunk?" Roy asked, blinking in confusion while Oliver rocked the sick teenager in his arms.

"No. His brain is fried. And when his brain is fried, what he really feels comes to the front."

"...so basically, he's drunk."

"You could say that, I suppose."

"Good to know. I'm never taking him drinking, ever."

* * *

They had a pet.

Once.

It was a canary, because Roy didn't have any creativity at all, when it came to gifts. He brought it over in the middle of the night, set it on the adults' bedside, and left.

It took about twenty minutes of non-stop chirping for Dinah to hurl it out the window.

After that, the teens didn't talk for three days.

* * *

It should have been a give-in to figure out that Dinah had no idea how to cook at all.

She wasn't a pretty little _housewife, _and she had _no intention of becoming one._ She was a crimefighter, a warrior, the _fucking Black Canary._

But honestly, the fact that she couldn't even make Kraft Mac 'n Cheese was just a little depressing.

But they all ate it anyway, smiling through the somehow simultaneously soggy and burnt lump of weird, maroon substance, while Dinah downed it like a trained soldier.

That was probably what caused Mia to be sick in the first place.

* * *

Okay, they weren't a perfect family.

They were far from it. They fought constantly. They got on each other's nerves. Sometimes, the kids would erupt into violence. A lot of the time, they even hated each other.

But there were the days when all of them would sit and watch television, not having to speak a word.

There were the days that Dinah completely trashed the kitchen, and they ordered pizza and watched B-movies and laughed.

There were the days that they would rip on each other, and every member of the world of capes and villains. Batman was a favorite, and honestly, he left himself open for it all.

There was the fact that Mia sang horribly in the shower. That Oliver secretly liked to wear fuzzy Christmas sweaters. That Conner was a secret cuddler, that Roy liked to draw, and was a sucker for bad movies. That Dinah liked to garden, and secretly loved cartoons.

There was the love in Dinah's eyes when she looked at Oliver, and the way he looked at her, like she was the only thing in the world. There was the way that Oliver checked on each one of them, every night, before he fell asleep.

So yeah, they were a family.

In their own, weird way.

* * *

A/N

I hope you liked~!


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